Sunday, July 4, 2010

Independence Day

It’s been a gorgeous weekend, blue skies, sunshine, a cool breeze. Friday afternoon, I bought tickets to twelve movies at the New Zealand Film Festival which opens in here on July 16th and runs until August 1st. Yesterday, I helped Walter prepare for a Power Rangers audition. He rented a space at a local arts center, and I read the parts of the Rangers, he the wise samurai. Afterwards, we walked down Cuba Street to the harbor. Later, I checked out the marina and inquired there if anybody ever rents out their boats as apartments.
The old salt behind the counter grinned and said, “It’s not that sort of place.” I nodded, but he knew I was lost. “Today is glorious,” he continued. “Calm seas, not a cloud. But tomorrow, the winds might come up from the south and be knocking the boats around and the wind horizontal. You wouldn’t want to be on one of them boats during that!”

Indeed I would not! I explored a bit more of Wellington, and found a Friends Meeting House, a Quaker Meeting, and made note of the meeting time. This morning, Sunday, I woke up at 8am, fixed breakfast, and walked across town to the Meeting House and sat in the circle with a couple of dozen other people, mostly in silence, giving thanks for what I have and letting go of what’s gone. In honor of Independence Day, I’ve resolved to break free from old habits, to say goodbye to poisonous thinking and to embrace that which nurtures and fulfills.

After the meeting, the group had tea, and I met a woman who has been doing volunteer work in Namibia and Cambodia, and whose daughter is a film producer in London. I mentioned briefly ITLP, and my upcoming trip to Bali to work with teens there, but we were interrupted and the day was calling, and so I finished my tea and started hiking up to the top of Mount Victoria, one of the highest points in Wellington. On the way, I discovered a swing that someone had tied to a high branch. The tree was on a steep hill, and so, sitting on the swing’s bench and walking backward then launching, I soared above the ground, swooping out over the city.

Leaving the swing, I continued hiking up the muddy path to the top of Mount Vic, breathing deeply the scent of pine and sea air. At one point, a black and white cat appeared, and walked beside me for awhile. As I wrote earlier, there are not many cats here, and so it was surprising to see such a friendly, well-groomed feline. We walked together for awhile, until she heard something in the brush and darted off toward the sound. Arriving at the summit of the Mt. Vic lookout, I was astounded by the views, unobstructed in every direction.

Last Wednesday, I met with the lecturer I’ll be tutoring for. She’s designed what looks to be a terrific class. For those of you in the states reading this who, like me, are new to the concept of tutoring, here’s how it will work: I’ll be tutoring three sections of Film 101. Beginning the week of July 12, I will sit in on classes every Tuesday and Friday, which will consist of 50 minutes of lecturing, then a film. On Mondays, I’ll meet with three groups of 20 students, and go over the readings and lectures. I will also be grading papers for the 60 students, all while working on my dissertation. It’s going to be a busy trimester.

It’s night now, and I’ve just returned from having a cup of coffee, a “flat white,” and a piece of pumpkin pie from a place on Cuba Street called Castro’s. Michael Shraa, a fellow film studies postgrad student, called and invited me out. It’s the end of a lovely weekend. I’ll drink a cup of tea now, climb into bed and get a few hours of reading done. I’ve learned I’ll have the New Zealand summer “off;” that is, the School of English, Film, Theatre and Media shuts down from the middle of November ‘til the end of February. I’ll have to continue with my research, but I may scout out someplace cheaper and take a trunk of books to Vietnam or Samoa and rent a place near a beach. Or, if today is any indication to what the Wellington summer may be like, this might not be such a bad place to spend a summer after all.

3 comments:

  1. love reading about good days:)

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  2. Sounds as if you're settling in and finding open doors already. Tutoring sounds a lot like being a graduate teaching assistant (at least sometimes), although 60 students is a bit much, depending on how much writing they do and how many courses you have to take. Keep writing, and be well.

    cdf

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